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Freedom is not free, unless you're a 'one percenter'

Posted on Jul 11, 2012 at 12:24 p.m.

I lost a friend today. There are an estimated 18 suicide attempts every day by our warrior/veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't know their names, but one to three succeed. I just lost a friend today.

There has been tens of thousands of suicides by Vietnam veterans, enough for another "Wall." I have lost many of my friends today.

No, freedom is not free.

There has been an estimated 19,000 sexual assaults/rapes, every year for the past five years, that's 100,000, unless you are a bean counter, then it's only 95,000. No, freedom is not free.

I will suggest that our highly trained Armed Forces are burned out -- broken. Abused relentlessly with multiple tours by neo-con chicken hawks, whose combat experience is the most recent "Sgt. Rock" comic book or some stupid video game.

I have lost some friends today and some of them are finally free.

Freedom is not free by blood alone. The monetary expense of caring for our wounded warriors begins at a low estimate of three trillion dollars, and a high of six trillion.

The replacement and reconditioning of equipment will be around one trillion plus. Hell, some parts are only 10,000 percent above list. Labor is expensive in the U.S.A. -- out source.

No, freedom is not free.

How's that billionaire job-creator tax cut thing working for ya?

The cost of Iraq alone will be on the downside of two trillion dollars. Crusades are not cheap, so pass that plate around the room, one more time.